Lingerie tycoon fighting for life after being ‘bludgeoned during botched …
October 16, 2012 by admin
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- Tony Power is the founder of top
lingerie firm Panache whose underwear is worn by Scarlett
Johannson, Holly Willoughby and Katie Price - Mr Power had gone to a park to look for
his missing brother when his attacker tried to steal the keys of his
Bentley Continental saloon - He was found unconscious and was left with fractured skull and bleeding on the brain
By
Chris Brooke
09:19 EST, 15 October 2012
|
18:49 EST, 15 October 2012
Attack: Tony Power, 78, is the founder of top
lingerie firm Panache whose underwear is worn by Hollywood star Scarlett
Johannson, TV presenter Holly Willoughby and Jordan aka Katie Price
A businessman who founded a multi-million-pound lingerie firm is fighting for his life after being beaten and robbed in a park.
Police believe the attack on Tony Power, 78, may have been an attempt to steal his £180,000 Bentley Continental, which was parked nearby.
The car was not stolen but Mr Power’s iPhone and cash were taken as he lay unconscious.
He suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain. Police described his injuries as life-threatening.
The attack happened after Mr Power drove to the park – seven miles from his home in Bradway, Sheffield – to look for his elderly brother because he was concerned for his welfare.
Police believe he left the Bentley near the entrance to High Hazels Park between 7.50pm and 8.10pm last Monday and was attacked for his car key.
He was found unconscious at 9.10pm and rushed to hospital.
Mr Power, who is being treated in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, made his fortune as he went from selling bras from his garage to supplying lingerie across the globe. His rags to riches tale began in the early 1980s when he was made redundant from Playtex where he worked as a salesman.
His commercial brainwave was to realise there was a gap in the market for lingerie aimed at curvier women and he set up his company, Panache, in 1982 with money from mortgaging his house.
Crime scene: A police cordon at the scene where Mr Power was attacked in High Hazels Park, Sheffield
Underwear: Model wears a Panache bra. The label was launched by Mr Power in 1982
Today, the international firm has
annual sales of £23million and its bras are supplied to major high
street and online retailers.
Its products have received celebrity
backing from the likes of actress Scarlett Johansson and TV presenter
Holly Willoughby. Mr Power, who lives with his wife Maureen, stepped
down from running Panache in 2007.
The firm is now owned and run by his four children from its £2.5million base in Sheffield.
A spokesman for Panache said: ‘Mr Power is a self-made man who founded international brand Panache 30 years ago.
‘As a close, family-run company, this
incident has come as a big shock and our thoughts and prayers are with
the Power family at this difficult and private time.’ Members of his
family declined to comment. There were no further details on why Mr
Power was concerned for his brother.
A hospital spokesman described Mr Power’s condition as ‘stable but critical’.
Residents in Mr Power’s neighbourhood
were shocked by the attack. One said: ‘He is a very successful
businessman and it’s awful that such a thing could happen to an elderly
man.’
A local man, Imran Khan, 30, has been charged with attempted murder and robbery in connection with the incident.
A 30-year-old local man from Darnall,
Sheffield, has been charged with attempted murder and robbery
Police
say Mr Power, who is currently in hospital in Sheffield, drove the car
to the park and parked it near the entrance between 7.50pm and 8.10pm
and was found unconscious at 9.10pm
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‘Downton’ affect: Lingerie brand sells out after show mention
October 16, 2012 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News
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Lucile
Lingerie brand Lucile was founded by British aristocrat Lady Duff Gordon in the early 20th century. Now the recently resurrected company, which sells pieces like this cream-colored robe, is getting some help from Downton Abbey.
A media mention can bring in loads of new sales for any company, and one U.K. lingerie company had an unexpected surprise several weeks ago. A brief reference to old-time lingerie brand Lucile on the popular period series “Downton Abbey” has sent the company’s fortunes soaring.
The hit show recently started its third season in the U.K. (set to air on Jan. 6 on PBS in the U.S.) and now takes place in the early 1920s. Without giving too much away, during one recent episode Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) and daughter in-law Lady Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) briefly mentioned the old-time lingerie brand Lucile for a newlywed’s wardrobe.
What obviously wasn’t mentioned on the show — and what many viewers already knew — was that this vintage brand was resurrected just this year.
The passing reference was enough to send hundreds of fans to Lucile’s website, sending sales skyrocketing 48 percent and website traffic up 60 percent.
Nick Briggs / Masterpeice Theater
Downton Abbey, featuring Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary, is praised for it’s style.
“My phone has rung continuously since then, and we have had to beg our fabulous factory to clear some time for more production,” Camilla Blois, Lucile’s managing director, and great, great granddaughter of Lucile’s original founder, told TODAY. “Our gift boxes have been really popular and there’s now a waiting list for the Duchess of Warwick kimonos.”
Blois, the great granddaughter of Lucile’s founder, decided to bring back the brand after falling in love with a recent exhibition featuring Lucile’s archives and old design books. Originally founded by British aristocrat Lady Duff Gordon in the early 20th century, Lucile hit its height of popularity in the 1920s, when “Downton Abbey” takes place.
Lucile
Fit for a Crawley? Lucile’s Long Georgette gown sells for a cool £695 ($1,117).
The new-found popularity of the brand comes despite the high price tag of many of its pieces. The sold-out kimonos sell on the site for £499 ($802), while the Long Georgette Gown goes for £695 ($1,117). The pieces are all hand cut and made in England. For those looking for something even more unique, a bespoke service is available.
“I think a lingerie set which can make you feel like a million dollars is priceless and it brings with it a certain feeling of inner confidence,” Blois told TODAY.com. “Times are not easy at the moment but great lingerie is just as important as shoes and handbags, if not more so.”
More: Dress like the ladies of ‘Downton Abbey’
PBS pulls ‘Downton Abbey’-inspired jewelry after show objects
Legendary 76-carat diamond could fetch more than $15 million